RELG 619. Religious Heritage and the Public Sphere.

Introduction to heritage studies through the lens of religious studies, including the spiritual, socio-economic, and political aspect of the expanding heritage phenomena, along with the contestations it can provoke. Exploration of the historical trajectory of heritage creation and legalization over the last two centuries, much of which concerns sacred objects, along with contemporary examples from around the world and in Montreal. Topics include tourism, museums, intangible heritage practices, ritualization, the repatriation and destruction of heritage objects.